While working on an unrelated research project, I recently came across some data published by the Hartford Institute of Religion Research. Though the information was five years old, it still seemed highly relevant today. In essence, the data showed that non-denominational churches are now the second largest Protestant group in America. Only the Southern Baptist Convention is larger.
Here are some of the fascinating nuggets from that study:
- There are more than 12 million people who affiliate with non-denominational churches.
- The research found at least 35,000 non-denominational churches in America.
- Non-denominational churches are in 88% of the counties in the United States.
- Non-denominational churches are one of the top five largest religious groups in 48 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
In light of the growth of these churches, I conducted an informal Twitter poll and asked why people are moving to non-denominational congregations from churches affiliated with denominations. Here are the top eight responses in order. There is obvious overlap in some of the responses.
- Denominational churches have a negative reputation. Some respondents used the phrase “negative brand” to communicate this reason.
- Denominations are known more for what they are against than what they are for.
- There is too much infighting and politics in denominations.
- The denominational churches are too liberal. From what I can tell from these respondents, they are current and former members of mainline churches.
- There is a general waning of institutional loyalty in institutions such as denominations.
- Denominations have inefficient systems and organizations. They are too bureaucratic.
- Some of the respondents could see no perceived benefit to belonging to denominations.
- Denominations are not good stewards of their financial resources.
I plan on doing a second poll in the near future to see how respondents view denominations positively. In the meantime, let me hear from you.
Posted on April 22, 2015
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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191 Comments
Well I think many people are drifting into non denominational churches because of many practical application of scriptures in the in these non denominational churches. Example, healing and deliverance fantastic miracles, breakthroughs and prosperity, many of these are less emphasized in the denominational churches.
Wow, I can’t believe some of the comments of negativity about the Lutheran church.
People need to understand humans are flawed and sinful by nature. That’s why we need Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for our salvation. I too have had negative experiences in the church when I was young, but that because of the people attending the church, not the Lutheran church itself. Although I don’t go to church right now I know I will again when God calls me there and Y’all must remember it’s about having Faith in the Lord and believing in Jesus Christ because there is no salvation for those who do not believe and that is a hard truth not many want to hear. I’m Lutheran and do use a rosary when I pray, but I do not pray to Mary only Jesus Christ the Lord. Fyi, Lutherans do honor the saints and have respect for them we just do not pray to them or Mary. We pray to God himself and pray to Jesus for forgiveness. That is the only difference between us and The Catholics. We all have Holy communion say the Lord’s prayer and the Apostles Creed.
I don’t like churches in general. They are businesses. This switch occurred about 400 years in when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire. He wanted that so that it could be used as a unifying force for an ailing disintegrating empire. Christianity was coopted by politicians and pagans, and the simple practices and ways of early Christianity were lost. Meeting in homes which were lead by a plurality of unpaid teaching elders was outlawed and preplaced with pagan temple style programs and edifices. Paid professional clergy replaced the priesthood of every believer. Only the professionals participated for a passive audience whereas previously meetings were open participatory and spirit led.
Can’t stand church inc. once I learned the historical facts about how it wasn’t always like it is now and how that change occurred I could understand why I hated it and that it was ok to do so.
Hey, so The Bible was the guide line for our lives. Many people came along and used the Bible yet added their own idea to suit their lifestyles. All priests, pastors, ministry leaders are just people, yes they may have the gift of giving out the message but they still humans just like us so they sin just like us… Jesus said we are the church not a building. Don’t be foolish to believe one person, read the word and you will receive the wisdom you need to live out your life. Be a follower of Jesus, that’s what God tells us to do. Jesus also said that not all who call Him “Lord, Lord” will inherit the kingdom of heaven. I also went to a church many different ones, and all they said was it is okay to compromise the Bible for my lifestyle where God clearly states it’s NOT okay! I started studying the Bible last year and yes I realized their are many false teachers or teach the Word incorrectly.
I left the Catholic Church twice, the last time for good. I grew tired of the constant call to pray for more priests all the while leaving women out cold. I got tired of the Church not really dealing with clergy sex abuse. I could go on. Anyway, I began really studying the bible and fell in love with Christ. I just want to worship Christ without all the restrictive rules and dogmas, many of which have zero biblical basis.
Yeah girl 100%.
I prefer non-denominational churches to traditional simply because of the freedom to worship God in whatever manner you like. I am a hand lifter, sometimes I want to dance, I get so overjoyed; I feel stymied in a traditional service and not comfortable with not being able to praise God in the way that the Holy Spirit leads me. The contemporary services at some churches are nice, but you feel the limitation there. We are supposed to be free to worship God, that is my belief. Of course, I also believe that all should be done orderly and reverently before our God. David danced before the Lord, the Jewish people clapped their hands and raised their hands in praise, and shouted out to God. Why was all of this EVER removed from traditional churches, I wonder?
I was raised in the Catholic Church—baptism, confession, communion, confirmation, twelve years of parochial education. I’m not going to blast the Catholic Church, but when I would ask why we did something or believed something, the canned response I got was, “Because the church says so.” Eventually I stopped asking because I wasn’t getting any answers that made sense.
It wasn’t until I actually read the Bible, start to finish, that I realized why so many of the things I was taught didn’t make sense. I mean no disrespect to my fellow Christians of the Catholic faith, but the Word of God and the word of the church are often not one and the same. For example, read Exodus 20:1-17 and compare it to the Ten Commandments you were taught in catechism (Word of God versus word of the church). Pay special attention to verses 4-6, which are the real second commandment as spoken by God. Why is this not in the version of the Ten Commandments taught in catechism? And why did they split the real tenth commandment (verse 17) into two different commandments to fill the hole left by removing the actual second commandment?
Also (and this will me my last point on this subtopic) in catechism we were taught that if you die with a mortal sin on your soul you go straight to Hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200. Mortal sin is a very broad range of offenses, including not attending mass on the Sabbath or during a holy day of obligation. So if someone led an otherwise righteous life but skipped mass one Sunday and dropped dead of a heart attack before a priest administered the sacrament of penance then it’s off to the lake of fire. That’s not remotely biblical. As a matter of fact, it’s completely contradictory of what Jesus himself said.
Once I started following the Word of God instead of the word of the church, things started making sense. The scales fell from my eyes and for the first time I began to see God’s message clearly. Reading the bible is like Lasik for the soul. This is very tough, very challenging. It means surrendering your will to that of God. This is not for the faint of heart.
As I read a lot of these comments I must say I’m very, very blessed to be a part of a nondenominational church that is 100% bible based. They teach a four step approach to bible study that starts with “context” to make sure what you are citing is appropriate for the application you’re seeking. There’s none of this “find a verse, take it out of context and apply it to something completely different” nonsense that’s so prevalent in new age Christianity. We’re almost done with a six part series on Leviticus, and believe me, if anyone in the congregation thought this was some laid back do-what-you-want church, by now they know better.
Anyway, I truly mean no disrespect to my fellow Christians who remain Catholic. I wish you nothing but the best and pray that feel the same toward those of us who have taken a more bible-based approach to salvation. God bless, and take care.
Jay, I am sorry for your experience in not getting your questions answered (I guess there are more?) about the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ at Pentecost 2000 years ago. Since I do not know the core beliefs of your nondenominational church, or how it interprets the bible, it is not possible for me to see how close or far away it is from the Catholic Church. That being the case, if you are still interested in getting your questions answered from a Catholic perspective, may I ask you to check out the resource below?
Based on your comments, it appears to me you seek to follow 100% bible only or “sola scriptura”, yes? Is the reason why you became Protestant because you believe “sola scriptura” is scriptural? How did you decide which books are in the canon of the New Testament for “sola scriptura”, and which writings are to be excluded? Catholic Answers recently answered a caller with a Protestant background regarding this topic in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g72zamBPFk.
I hope this resource is helpful. May God keep and bless you always!
EVERY WIND OF NEW TEACHING? BY STEVE FINNELL
Immature Christians are subject to every wind of new teaching. (Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.) NLV- New Living Translation.
The Christians in the first century believed the apostles teaching on salvation. Which was Faith: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.(NKJV) Repentance: Acts 3:19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. (NKJV) Confession: Romans 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (NKJV) Immersion in Water: Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved…Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.(NKJV)
Would a mature Christian leave the first century church of Christ to place their membership in a church that did believe the apostles teaching on salvation. Would they have joined The Church of Jehovah’ Witnesses, The Baptist Church, The Latter Day Saints, The Methodist Church, The Church of The Salvation Army, The Community Church, The Lutheran Church, the Church of The Masonic Lodge, The Pentecostal Church, The Roman Catholic Church?
The apostle Paul asked the elders of the church to guard against those would trick immature Christians with lies so clever they sound like the truth. (Acts 20:28-30 “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.(NKJV)
It would appear that over time the elders of the Lord’s Church have fallen asleep at the wheel.
Neither Jesus nor the apostles gave multiple terms of pardon for salvation.
FAITH, REPENTANCE, CONFESSION, IMMERSION IN WATER—Just one plan of salvation.
YOU ARE INVITED TO FOLLOW MY BLOG>>> steve-finnell.blogspot.com
point #8 bring up the story of a man who finally, after years of arm twisting to get the guy in church, stated his major objection to being in your typical church when he stated……..”I was looking for a “church”, I’ve GOT a “bank”!.. Let’s be totally honest too many churches have gazillions in the bank while people not 2 miles away from the church building are hurting, starving, and poor. Some reserve is probably ok,let’s say for a six month dry spell. But…come on! Many bank accounts are obscene in light of the needs out there….. What’s our response….usually we’ll set aside Thanksgiving and Christmas to send them food baskets. Haven’t really quite figured out why we don’t wanna feed them the other 363 days in the year!?!?!?!? Is this to calm our souls that we’ve done “something” over “nothing” while the other 68K sets in the bank drawing interest?? THIS is a HUGE reason many look into the church and see a problem. We (inside) are the only one’s who don’t seem to “get it” because we’ve blurred the line between being good stewards…and faithless, worldly hoarders. I realize that’s tough language…but when you have cancer (from experience) band aids won’t do–it takes radical surgery to get better! The church better wise up to that fact….and soon.
I know a Pastor and co-Pastor of a “Non-Denominational” Church – sad to say, they are all about “the money”.
Their “church” is run like a business (which utilizes the financial “giving” of its members to purchase other non-religious businesses for their own personal and financial benefit). Their “church” accounts financially to no one but themselves. No “members” ever see the “books” or know about the financials of the “church”. One must apply for memberships – from what I hear, a new prospective member must submit an application and three years of tax returns. Only then will you be selected for “membership” and a determination made for your monthly “giving” to the “church”.
Additionally, this “church” does nothing for the local community in which it resides – no food banks, no clothing drives, no helping the poor, handicap, or needy. The “church” conducts “spiritual” programs for only their members, no outsiders are ever invited nor the programs made available to the local community. They do have oversees “mission” trips to not-so third-world countries. Mainly the trips are utilized for glitzy vacation destinations for the Pastor and co-Pastor.
The Pastor and co-Pastor are heavy narcissists – selfies of themselves conducting “business” at their “church”, posing like models, and praising the Lord Jesus for being upgraded to first class while on a mission trip.
No wonder the “membership” is primarily comprised of 20-somethings (young and dumb). In that age group you haven’t lived or experienced enough to know that you’re being taken advantage of.
These “churches” are businesses plain and simple. Think Joel Olsteen and Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. They suck you in with nice, kind, feel-good religious messages – but live a sinful, shallow life.
Be aware!
There is only one faith, one church, one baptism, one Christ, not churches faiths, baptisms, Christs.